Dunn, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

Base of neck or better 94 points Wine Advocate The opaque blue/purple-colored 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa boasts an exceptional nose of creme de cassis, minerals, and spice. It takes at least a decade for wines such as this to begin to reveal more identity and vintage character. The cassis/blackberry liqueur-like fruit are present, as are mouthsearing levels of tannin and impressive extract. This blockbuster should be at its peak between 2010-2040. If Godzilla drank California Cabernet Sauvignon, would there be any doubt as to what choice it would be? Anyone who has regularly tasted Randy Dunn's Cabernet Sauvignons (first produced in 1979) realizes several things. They all possess the following characteristics: (1) remarkable color and richness, (2) massive personalities with huge tannic structures, (3) gorgeous purity and unreal aging potential. Last year I reported on a tasting where all of Dunn's top wines back through the 1982 vintage were served. Remarkably, they had hardly budg